What Makes a Good Craft?

What makes a good craft? This is one of those age-old questions, as the answers have been debated and discussed, their meanings keep getting changed. The consensus of opinion seems to be, that a good craft can be defined by how it makes you feel while making it. A skill can be defined by how much you enjoy doing the activity. In the broadest sense, a craft can be described by the satisfaction you get from doing it.

So, the question is, what makes a skill a good craft? One way to define a skill is to consider it as an art form. Art goes a long way beyond having a skill that can be measured. If we look at all the great painters and musicians, we will see that their skills were developed over time. Their skills were cultivated, and they put into practice whatever it took to become good at what they do.

So, what makes a good craft? I believe that it is the joy we get from making something beautiful. When I am making a jewelry item, for example, there are a huge smile on my face, from inside of me, and out. When I am making a quilt, the fun comes first, and then the satisfaction. When I am making cookies, I use my imagination to create wonderful cookies that bring a smile to my face, and that make me feel good about myself.

When we are creating a new craft or learning a new craft, we must ask ourselves, what do we want to achieve? What would we be doing if we won the prize? Would we still love it? Knowing what we want to achieve, or what we would like to make, gives us the motivation to make a quality craft, and to enjoy it, while we are making it.

Another thing that comes to mind, when I am creating a new craft, is that I want to make my art as much as possible. I want to make every inch of my work as beautiful as possible. I try to imagine the finished product, before I begin. I find that when I do this, I can focus on the creative process without any distractions. When I am focused, and when I know that I am creating a quality craft, the happiness increases, because I know that I have made something beautiful, and I can be proud of it.

Crafts are supposed to be fun, and making them is often times, not always easy. We should try to remember that, and not worry about what the outcome might be. When we have fun with our craft, it makes it more fun for us, and when we are making a quality craft, it makes it so much happier for us.